Activation of farnesoid X receptor attenuates liver injury in MRL/lpr lupus mice

AIM: To observe how the activation of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) influences liver function in MRL/lpr lupus mice. METHODS: The expression of FXR at mRNA and protein levels was determined in the liver specimens of MRL/lpr mouse model.MRL/lpr mice and the control BALB/c mice received concanavalin A (ConA) to induce liver injury. The FXR agonist chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) was administered to MRL/lpr mice. Blood samples were taken at the time points of 0 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 16 h and 24 h after ConA injection for the detection of serum ALT, AST, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-6. RESULTS: FXR was down-regulated in the liver specimens of MRL/lpr mice. MRL/lpr mice were more susceptible to ConA than BALB/c mice to induce significantly higher levels of aminotransferases and inflammatory cytokines. Activation of FXR by CDCA significantly reduced the levels of aminotransferases and inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-6 caused by ConA injection in MRL/lpr mice. CONCLUSION: FXR activation ameliorates liver injury and suppresses the production of inflammatory cytokines, indicating that FXR protects the liver functions in lupus mice.